One third-party vendor, Acclaim, managed to raise controversy with several stunts that it pulled throughout the year. The first occurred in late-February (2002) when it released Shadow Man: 2econd Coming for the PS2. The game dealt with death, so Acclaim offered to “rent space” on British tombstones so it could place advertising for the game on them. An Acclaim spokesman noted that while many people would find this offensive, others “might see it as a good way to procuring a subsidy to burial costs, to give their loved one a good send-off.” The company finally recanted and called it an early April Fool’s joke.
The next stunt occurred at the end of August (2002), when Acclaim released Turok: Evolution for all three game systems. This time, the company offered a $10,000 savings bond to the first baby born on September 1 that was named Turok by parents who had registered on the company’s website in advance.
Check out more of the rich history of the industry in Leonard Herman’s book Phoenix IV available at Rolenta Press www.RolentaPress.com and make sure to sign up to get Old School Gamer Magazine for free by clicking here!
